ECB's Makhlouf: The central bank needs to get ahead of inflation

Sagar Dua FXStreet

European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council member and Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, Gabriel Makhlouf, said during the European trade on Friday that the central bank needs to act quickly before inflation starts accelerating further.

Remarks

We need to get ahead of inflation.

Seeing more broad-based inflation impact.

It would be a mistake for us to do nothing.

Market reaction

In the European trade, the US Dollar (USD) is driving EUR/USD, and not comments from ECB officials. As of writing, EUR/USD trades 0.15% lower at around 1.1560.

ECB FAQs

What is the ECB and how does it influence the Euro?

The European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany, is the reserve bank for the Eurozone. The ECB sets interest rates and manages monetary policy for the region. The ECB primary mandate is to maintain price stability, which means keeping inflation at around 2%. Its primary tool for achieving this is by raising or lowering interest rates. Relatively high interest rates will usually result in a stronger Euro and vice versa. The ECB Governing Council makes monetary policy decisions at meetings held eight times a year. Decisions are made by heads of the Eurozone national banks and six permanent members, including the President of the ECB, Christine Lagarde.

What is Quantitative Easing (QE) and how does it affect the Euro?

In extreme situations, the European Central Bank can enact a policy tool called Quantitative Easing. QE is the process by which the ECB prints Euros and uses them to buy assets – usually government or corporate bonds – from banks and other financial institutions. QE usually results in a weaker Euro. QE is a last resort when simply lowering interest rates is unlikely to achieve the objective of price stability. The ECB used it during the Great Financial Crisis in 2009-11, in 2015 when inflation remained stubbornly low, as well as during the covid pandemic.

What is Quantitative tightening (QT) and how does it affect the Euro?

Quantitative tightening (QT) is the reverse of QE. It is undertaken after QE when an economic recovery is underway and inflation starts rising. Whilst in QE the European Central Bank (ECB) purchases government and corporate bonds from financial institutions to provide them with liquidity, in QT the ECB stops buying more bonds, and stops reinvesting the principal maturing on the bonds it already holds. It is usually positive (or bullish) for the Euro.

Author

Sagar Dua

FXStreet

Sagar Dua is associated with the financial markets from his college days. Along with pursuing post-graduation in Commerce in 2014, he started his markets training with chart analysis.

EUR/USD stays defensive below 1.1600 as USD rebounds

EUR/USD trades marginally lower below 1.1600 in the European session on Friday. The pair edges down as the US Dollar rebounds slightly after Thursday’s massive profit-taking pullback. Looming US-Iran uncertainty revives the haven demand for the Greenback, while the Euro takes a breather after the hawkish ECB hike-led rally.

GBP/USD holds steady above 1.3400 ahead of US sentiment data

GBP/USD recovers losses and trades modestly flat above 1.3400 in the European trading hours on Friday. The UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined by 0.1% in April, limiting the pair's upside amid renewed US Dollar weakness. The focus now remains on the US Michigan Consumer Sentiment data.

Gold flatlines above $4,200; bearish bias intact amid US-Iran risks

,Gold recovers modest intraday losses, and turns flat during the first half of the European session, though it remains below the daily peak. Despite uncertainty over the US-Iran peace deal, a steadier mood fails to help the US Dollar in preserving its gains. This is seen as a key factor offering some support to the commodity.

Pi Network: Bulls attempt comeback as bearish strength fades

Pi Network (PI) is trading at around $0.120 after a modest recovery the previous day. Despite this recent rebound, traders should be cautious as a scheduled unlock of 14.8 million PI tokens on Friday could limit the token's recovery potential by increasing market supply. Meanwhile, the technical outlook is showing early signs of fading bearish momentum, suggesting a short-term bounce.

Week ahead – Central bank barrage ahead: Fed, BoJ, RBA, SNB and BoE in focus

The US dollar outperformed most of its major counterparts this week, with investors remaining convinced that the Fed may need to press the rate hike button before the end of this year. Fed hike bets were significantly bolstered after the US jobs report for May came in much stronger than expected, with nonfarm payrolls rising to 172k and confounding expectations of a much more modest 85k gain.

4.2% headline, 0.2% core: Why the Fed's next hike may be targeting the wrong problem

May's CPI put headline inflation at 4.2% on the year, up from 3.8% in April and the hottest reading since April 2023, while core prices rose just 0.2% on the month, undershooting the 0.3% consensus and halving April's pace.